Furniture glider



May 5, 1953 P. D. BECKER L FURNITURE GLIDER Filed April 5, 1949 F 2| IG I I92o es I6 2 ,5 4 ....U.' au! as ,JIU M. |1 so lo f IE \\////////////////////////1` lNVE'NTORZ BVM BECKER, JAA,

Patented May 5, 1953 FURNITURE GLIDER Philip l). Becker, Hingham, Mass., assignorto United-Carr Fastener Corporation, Cambridge, Mass., a corporation of Massachusetts Application April 5, 1949Serial No. 85,698

(Cl. .I6- 42) Claims.

The present invention relates to furniture leg gliders and especially to the type adapted to be used withtubular metal furniture legs, and the invention aims generally to improve existing gliders, and more particularly to improve the construction of gliders as disclosed in my copendng application Serial No. 85,697, tiled April 5, 1949, now Patent No. 2,564,635, dated August 14, 1951.

Heretofore, and as disclosed in my above stated copending application, tubular metal furniture leg gliders advantageously include a cup-shaped metal glider shoe connetced to a supporting post Vor part which in turn carries a resilient furniture leg-gripping member. In some instances a resilient cushion of rubber or the like has been interposed between the cup-shaped shoe and supporting post and/or the furniture leg. Generally, the shoe has to be cupped to finished forni after assembly with the supporting post or cushion. Such deformable shoes are necessarily made of relatively soft metal and aretherefore subject to rapid wear and deteriorate in use. Furthermore, it is impractical to apply a durable finish coating to such shoes and as a result thereof the gliders have an 'unattractive appearance.

In prior gliders there has been metal-to-metal contact between the shoe and supporting post or furniture leg, resulting in the transmission of considerable noise as the furniture is moved over a floor.

vvOne of the primary objects ofthe present invention is .the provision of an improved construction of glider wherein the shoe may be preformed to its nalcup-shape prior to assembly with the supporting member, thus permitting the preformed shoe to be heat-treated for hardness and huish-coated to attractive durable appearance prior to assembly with the supporting niember.

A further primary object of the invention is the provision of an improved construction glider that'will be fully cushioned and insulated against no1se.

A still further object ofthe invention is the provision of an improved glider that avoids substantial metal-to-metal contact between the several furniture leg contacting parts and the shoe.

The above and other aims and advantages of the invention will be apparent to persons skilled in the art to which the invention relates from a consideration of the accompanying drawings and annexed specification.illustrating and describing apreferred form of the invention.

In the drawings- Fig. 1 is a side elevation of a' preferred embodi- 2 ment of furniture gllderaccordingtto the, invention;

Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional view ofthe glider illustrated in Fig. lland shown inyapplied position within atypical metal furniture leg;

Fig. 3 is a disassembled sectional view of the glider shoe supporting part with the cushioning and insulating disks prior to assembly thereof;

Fig. e is a plan view of `a preferred'form of fastener member for retaininglthe Aglider assembly in operative position within a tubular furniture leg.

Fig. 5 is a transverse sectionalfview of the fastener member as taken on the line 5--5 of Fig. 4; and

Fig. 6 is a sectional-'view"illustratingone preferred means of assembling the preformed glider shoe, supporting part and cushioning disks.

Referring to the drawings, the improved glider comprises a preformed, prefinished cup-shaped Slider shoe It assembled with asupporting part or member l5 in non-'metal contact,a furniture leg engaging fastener member 2D carried by the post l5. Preferably a' furniture leg engaging wear plate 25 surrounds the post and is `insulated from inetal-to-metal contact with the shoe lil.

in the preferred embodiment of the invention the glider shoe lll is formed ofsheet `metal,`for example sheet steel, and is preformedto nished hollow cup-shape to provide a convexoor-engaging surface II, an arcuate peripheral Wall I2 of substantially semi-circular cross section, and an upper inwardly turned'flange I3 surrounding a central opening i4 of substantially -less diameter than the body of the glider shoe so as to provide an enlarged cavity having a i reduced entering throat through the opening I4. The hollow cup-shaped glider shoe may be preformed in any suitable manner, and preferably is heattreated to increase its hardness and resistance to Wear. It may then be coated with a suitable finish, as for example apchrorhe plating to improve its attractiveness and appearance. The resulting preformed shoe is of nished shaper and contour .and provides a durable attractive'rnetal shoe highly resistant to Wear.

The supporting post or member I5 'is preferably of tubular sheet metal construction and is desirable because of strength, lightness in weight, and simplicity of manufactureof the part. The supporting member comprises a tubularipost I6 adapted to be disposed within a furniture leg I and has a reduced neck' portion Il` at its inner or upper end. The; opposite or lowerY end of the post IB is hanged laterally, as at I8, toprovide a cushion-supporting'base and preferably this base is of a diameter closely fitting the aperture I4 of the shoe I0, permitting the post base I8 to be inserted in the cavity of the shoe. The base I8 is preferably uniplanar providing relatively ilat opposed surface for engagement with the cushion member confined within the shoe.

Suitable fastener means are provided for retaining the glider assembly in operative position with respect to the end of a furniture leg I, and preferably such fastener means 20 is secured to the inner end of the post I6 to engage an inner wal12 of the leg I.

As herein illustrated, the fastener member 20 advantageously comprises an arched spring metal plate having a central body 2l centrally apertured as at 22 to loosely receive the reduced neck portion I1 of the supporting member I5. The fastener member also includes a peripheral skirt portion 23 inclined downwardly with respect to the body portion 2l and peripherally notched as at 23e to provide circumferentially spaced legbiting edges 24. Thus the fastener member is of arched or dished shape and is disposed on the post It so that the peripheral skirt 23 extends downwardly toward the glider shoe as shown in Figs. 1 and 2. The peripheral skirt portion 23 is normally of slightly greater diameter than the inside diameter of the leg I, and when driven therein is radially contracted so that the biting edges 24 engage and grip the wall 2 of the leg I under tension.

The reduced neck I1 of the post i3 provides a tubular eyelet that may be upset or outwardly turned over the upper apertured edge of the body portion 2| of the fastener 20 as at I9. Preferably, this connection is a loose ilt, there being some axial play of the fastener member 23 rela- `tive to the post I6 to compensate for relative movement between the supporting member I and shoe I5 and relieve the fastener member of strain when the glider is under load.

The supporting member I5 is supported in and insulated from the glider shoe Ii! by means of disks or washers of suitable shock-absorbing and sound-deadening material, for example soft rubber. Advantageously a compressible rubber disk 2G is provided between the floor-engagingsurface II of the shoe and the flange i3 of the post I5 and a compressible 'rubber washer 21 is provided between the flange I8 of the post and the inturned flange I3 of the shoe I. Both disks 2B and 21 may be of greater diameter than the flange I8 and shoe aperture I4 and preferably the disk 21 is of sufficient diameter and thickness to ll the upper portion of the shoe cavity between the flange I3 and supporting post flange i3, as shown in Fig. 2.

The glider preferably includes a wear plate 25 and a compressible rubber washer 35 surrounding' the post I5. The wear plate 25 preferably has a central aperture, an inwardly pressed rim adapted to fit within the inner wall 2 of the furniture leg I and an outer peripheral flange 28 adapted to bear against the lower edge of the furniture leg. Thus the wear plate closes the lower open end of the leg I.

The compressible rubber washer is interposed between the wear plate 25 and the shoe and thus insulates the glider against transmission of sound between those parts. It also permits the fastener member 20 to be driven a maximum distance 4within the leg I and upon expansion, maintains the upset edge I9 of the reduced neck portion I1 .in tensional engagement with the body portion ,2 I Aof thefastener member 30, thus providing a more secure and rattle-free installation of the glider in the furniture leg I.

The preformed glider shoe Ill, supporting member I5 and cushioning disks 26 and 21 may be assembled into a unitary structure by means of a punch and two-part die as shown in Fig. 6. As therein illustrated, and as will be apparent to persons skilled in the art, the preformed shoe I0 is first placed in the cavity 35 of a disk base 36. The rubber disk 26 is then inserted in the cavity of the hollow shoe IIJ and may be readily distorted to irregular shape for insertion through the restricted opening I4 of the shoe notwithstanding that it may be of greater normal diameter than said openingI I4. The supporting post I5 may then be assembled with the shoe by inserting the base flange I8 through the opening I4 into engagement with the previously inserted rubber disk 26. A funnel guide 31 is then assembled upon the die base 36, which guide has a recess 33 to receive the upper peripheral portion of the shoe and a tapering guide opening 39, the lower end of which conforms in diameter to the opening i 4 of the shoe I. The enlarged compressible rubber washer 2l may then be inserted in the funnel guide opening 39, around the post I6, and forced into the cavity of the shoe IIJ by means of a tubular ram or punch 4G. The compressible rubber washer 21, when compressed into the shoe cavity, will assume an irregular cross sectional shape, filling the upper portion of the cavity between the flange I8 of the post I6 and the inturned flange i3 of the shoe, thus securing the shoe Ill, supporting part i5, and rubber cushions in unitary assembly. Thereafter, the cushioning washer 30 and the wear plate 25 may be assembled around the post i6 and the fastener plate 20 secured to the post by upsetting the edge I9 of the reduced neck portion I1 as above described.

From the above it will be apparent that the shoe and supporting member are not only maintained in unitary assembly by the cushioning members 25 and 21, but the latter also serve as shockabsorbing and sound-deadening members.

As will be apparent a cushioning effect between the post I5 and shoe III is provided by the disk 28 which takes the entire load imposed on the post I5.

Although the cushioning member 3Q is desirable in the preferred construction, it may be omitted without sacrificing too greatly the sounddeadening properties of the glider because the cushion member 2 is of such irregular shape as to provide a neck extending through the opening I4 of the shoe IIl to engage the wear plate 25. U It will be seen that the invention provides an improved construction of furniture leg glider that produces a desirable cushioning effect between the glider shoe and furniture leg, and is substantially noise-free, while being economical in cost of manufacture. The invention permits use of a preformed glider shoe that may be formed of carbon steel, heat-treated for hardness for durability and long life as well as prenished for attractive appearance.

Although I have illustrated and described a preferred embodiment of the invention, I do not intend to be limited to the details thereof as the scope of the invention is best defined in the appended claims.

I claim:

l. The method of a assembling a furniture glider having a cup-shaped shoe with an inwardly turned lip defining an aperture spaced from the floor-engaging portion thereof, a cushion within said shoe covering the bottom thereof, and a vertical post having an outwardly disposed flange supported on said cushion within the shoe, comprising the steps of sliding a resilient washer down over the post and simultaneously compressing said washer, and pushing said washer into the shoe beyond the inwardly extending lip while the washer is in its compressed condition, whereupon the washer expands against the flange and the shoe thereby locking the parts together.

2. The method of assembling a furniture glider having a cup-shaped shoe with an inwardly turned side wall defining an aperture, a resilient cushion on the bottom of said shoe, and a post having an outwardly disposed flange adapted to be inserted within the aperture and supported on the cushion within the shoe, comprising the steps of compressing a resilient washer around the post to an outside diameter slightly smaller than that of the aperture, and forcing the washer in its compressed condition into the shoe, whereupon the washer expands against the inside of the shoe and against the ange forcing the post against the cushion and locking the parts together.

3. rhe method of assembling a furniture glider having a cup-shaped floor-engaging part with an inwardly turned side wall denning an aperture at the top thereof, a cushion member disposed in the bottom of the cup-shaped part, and a post having an outwardly disposed fiange adapted to be inserted through the aperture and being supported on the cushion within the floorengaging part, comprising the steps of placing a resilient washer around said post, sliding the washer down along said post and simultaneously compressing the same -to an outside diameter slightly less than that of the aperture in the floorengaging part, and pushing said washer into the floor-engaging part while it is in its compressed condition, whereupon the washer expands against the flange and the wall of the cup-shaped part, forcing the post against the cushion and locking the parts together within the floor-engaging cupshaped part,

4. A furniture glider having a cup-shaped shoe with an inwardly turned peripheral wall, a cushion disposed in the bottom of said shoe, a supporting post having a flange disposed on said cushion, a ring of yieldable material surrounding the post within the shoe and compressed against the wall of the shoe and the flange, a cushioning washer of yieldable material surrounding the post and supported on the shoe, a wear plate disposed on the cushioning ring adapted to engage a hollow furniture leg, and means carried by the post to secure the glider to a furniture leg.

5. A furniture glider having a oor-engaging shoe with an inwardly turned side wall defining an aperture spaced from the floor-engaging part thereof, a resilient cushion disposed in said shoe and covering the bottom thereof, a supporting post with an outwardly turned flange disposed on said cushion, a resilient ring surrounding the post and compressed inside the side wall of the shoe between the flange and the side wall of the shoe, forcing the flange against the cushion on the bottom of the shoe, a cushioning washer surrounding the post and supported on the shoe and on the compressed ring, a furniture-engaging wear plate surrounding the post and having a peripheral lip adapted to engage a furniture leg, and means attached to the upper end of the post to engage the inside of a furniture leg to secure the post and the shoe to the furniture leg.

PHILIP D. BECKER.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,782,770 Thiry Nov. 25, 1930 1,855,625 Darnell Apr. 26, 1932 1,899,395 Noelting Feb. 28, 1933 2,030,649 Miller Feb. 11, 1936 2,030,699 Herold Feb. 11, 1936 2,051,251 Epstein Aug. 18, 1936 2,238,705 Miller Apr. 15, 1941 2,249,381 Gustafson July 15, 1941 2,476,436 Trafton July 19, 1949 

